2018 Awards Night finalists named
The finalists for next month’s national Awards Night have been confirmed, and tickets are now available for purchase. The finalists for next month’s national Awards Night have been confirmed, with the sport’s most outstanding athletes, administrators and officials set to be recognised.
Finalists for 11 awards have been unveiled for the 2018 Awards Night, with winners set to be crowned at the gala dinner on October 25.
Finalists for the coveted Sport Australia International Bowler of the Year category include dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist Natasha Scott and recently retired Jackaroos vice-captain Brett Wilkie, who had a dominant performance at the Trans Tasman test series leading into the Games.
Regardless of the outcome of that award, Scott is already assured of a piece of silverware on the night.
Scott, alongside fellow NSW player David Ferguson, are the only two already-confirmed winners for the night, having secured their respective Tourism and Events Queensland Female and Male Bowler of the Year titles by virtue of winning the sport’s National Player Rankings for 2017/18, decided at the end of June.
Scott and Ferguson, who finished as Australia’s number one bowlers, will be bestowed their prize of $3,000 each during the function.
In the junior ranks, 2017 Junior Golden Nugget winner Nick Cahill and South Australia’s open-aged Male Bowler of the Year Josh Studham have been named as finalists in the BCiB Under-18 Male Bowler of the Year.
In the BCiB Under-18 Female Bowler of the Year category, 2018 Australian Open under-18 girls’ singles winner Jessie Cottell and Queensland under-18 state singles, triples and fours winner Rebecca Rixon are the two finalists.
After stellar years on the green, it will be difficult to split 2018 Commonwealth Games vision-impaired mixed pairs gold medal winning teammates Lynne Seymour and Jake Fehlberg in the Bowler with a Disability of the Year award.
Last year’s runner-up in the Stockland Retirement Living Club of the Year award, Queensland’s Rockhampton Bowls Club, has again been selected as a finalists, against Victoria’s Werribee Bowls Club.
In the City of Gold Coast Coach of the Year accolade, the three Coaches that orchestrated the Australian Jackaroos success at the recent Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games have been selected as finalists, in National Coach Steve Glasson OAM, National Assistant Coach Gary Willis and Para-Sport Coach Kelvin Kerkow OAM.
Two tireless contributors to the sport have been recognised as finalists for the Volunteer of the Year gong, in Club Helensvale’s Geoff O’Meagher, who contributed greatly to the Australian Open and Helensvale’s National Club 5 A Side, and Moonta Memorial’s Andrew Howard, who provided assistance to the Australian Senior Sides Championships.
Two exceptional International Technical Officials have been selected as as finalists in the Official of the Year category, in Western Australia’s Sue Hogg and South Australia’s Joan Prosser.
Three deserving Bowls Australia employees have been confirmed as finalists in the Bolton Clarke Regional Bowls Manager of the Year award, for their contribution to the assistance of clubs in their region, including NSW’s David Inglis, Victoria’s John Emerson, and NSW’s Brett Hughes.
Full Award finalists:
• Sport Australia International Bowler of the Year finalists: Brett Wilkie (Club Helensvale, QLD) and Natasha Scott (Raymond Terrace, NSW)
• Tourism and Events Queensland Male Bowler of the Year winner: David Ferguson (Engadine, NSW)
• Tourism and Events Queensland Female Bowler of the Year winner: Natasha Scott (Raymond Terrace, NSW)
• BCiB Under-18 Male Bowler of the Year finalists: Nick Cahill (Across The Waves, QLD) and Josh Studham (Holdfast Bay, SA)
• BCiB Under-18 Female Bowler of the Year finalists: Jessie Cottell (Club Helensvale, QLD) and Rebecca Rixon (Club Kawana, QLD)
• Bowler with a Disability of the Year finalists: Lynne Seymour (Thuringowa, QLD) and Jake Fehlberg (Burleigh Heads, QLD)
• Stockland Retirement Living Club of the Year finalists: Werribee (VIC) and Rockhampton (QLD)
• City of Gold Coast Coach of the Year finalists: Steve Glasson (Club Mount Lewis, NSW), Kelvin Kerkow (Tweed Heads, QLD), Gary Willis (Cabramatta, NSW)
• Volunteer of the Year
finalists: Geoff O’Meagher (Club Helensvale, QLD) and Howard Andrew (Moonta Memorial, SA)
• Official of the Year finalists: Sue Hogg (Manning Memorial, WA) and Joan Prosser (Payneham, SA)
• Bolton Clarke Regional Bowls Manager of the Year finalists: David Inglis (Riverina & Western NSW), John Emerson (North East Victoria) and Brett Hughes (Greater Sydney, NSW)
The winners of the awards will be announced at the Awards Night on October 25, to be staged at Mantra on View in Surfers Paradise, Queensland.
Also set to be honoured on the night are the full-contingent of Australian Jackaroos that competed and secured five gold and two silver medals at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Tickets for the 2018 Awards Night are now available to be purchased online here – priced at $135.00 per person (plus processing fees), and includes a three-course meal and drink packages.
Bowls Australia encourage anyone wishing to support the Award finalists or the Australian Jackaroos to attend.
Bowls Australia congratulates all award finalists, acknowledges the work of the selection committees and thanks the public for all nominations.
• Purchase Awards Night tickets
